Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

परद्रोहरताः सर्वे नरनारीनपुंसकाः । परनिन्दापरा नित्यं परच्छिद्रोपदर्शकाः

Transliteration

paradroharatāḥ sarve naranārīnapuṃsakāḥ | paranindāparā nityaṃ paracchidropadarśakāḥ

Translation

سب—مرد، عورتیں اور مخنث—دوسروں کو نقصان پہنچانے میں لگ جاتے ہیں؛ ہمیشہ دوسروں کی بدگوئی کرتے اور مسلسل ان کی خامیاں ظاہر کرتے رہتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• para-droha-ratāḥ: engaged in harming others
• para-droha-ratāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक) + droha (प्रातिपदिक) + rata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष ‘परद्रोहे रताः’ (Masculine, Nominative plural; delighting in harming others)

• sarve: all
• sarve: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative plural; pronominal adjective)

• nara-nārī-napuṃsakāḥ: men, women, and eunuchs
• nara-nārī-napuṃsakāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक) + nārī (प्रातिपदिक) + napuṃsaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (Masculine, Nominative plural; ‘men, women, and eunuchs’)

• para-nindā-parāḥ: given to others’ blame
• para-nindā-parāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक) + nindā (प्रातिपदिक) + para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष ‘परनिन्दायां पराः/आसक्ताः’ (Masculine, Nominative plural; devoted to slandering others)

• nityam: always
• nityam: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nityam (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• para-chidra-upadarśakāḥ: showing others’ faults
• para-chidra-upadarśakāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक) + chidra (प्रातिपदिक) + upa + √dṛś (दृश्) (कृदन्त—ण्वुल/अक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; उपदर्शक (कर्तृवाचक कृदन्त) ‘परस्य छिद्रं उपदर्शयन्ति’ (Masculine, Nominative plural; agent-noun ‘those who point out others’ faults’)

Speaker

Vyāsa (continued)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A crowd with pointing fingers and whispering mouths; dark speech-scrolls turning into thorns; a calm ascetic at the forest edge gestures toward silence and dharma.

Characters & Entities

• Kaliyuga (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is protected by non-harm and disciplined speech; slander and betrayal are hallmarks of decline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha; the verse is part of the Kali-yuga characterization within Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it condemns unethical tendencies (harm, slander, fault-finding).